Chapter 109: Fighting the Fire Dragon
Flash Gordon (serial) Synopsis Ming the Merciless, King Vultan and Flash's friends watch anxiously as Flash battles the vicious Orangopoid. Off to the side, Princess Aura asks the High Priest how an orangopoid can be defeated. He tells her that the orangopoid has a weak spot at the throat. She bravely grabs a spear and dashes into the arena, handing the spear to Flash and telling him how to kill the beast. Ming is outraged that someone betrayed him and revealed the orangopoid's secret. With Flash victorious, Vultan demands that Ming keep his promises, and free the Earth people. Ming offers to bring everyone back to his palace. Prince Thun elects to remain behind, and says goodbye to his friends. Back at the palace, Flash, Dale, and Dr. Hans Zarkov look forward to returning home. Zarkov uses his radio to communicate with Earth again, and Lawrence Gordon and Professor Hensley receive the signals. The Earth people can't make sense of the signals yet, but Professor Gordon promises to translate them. Dale is worried -- she doesn't trust Ming -- but Flash calms her down by reminding her that he gets to choose a bride tomorrow. They kiss for the first time. Spying on them, Aura sees the kiss and burns with jealousy. Ming orders the High Priest to dispose of Flash, and the Priest approaches Aura with a plan. He gives her two pills that she can mix with Flash's wine -- one will put him into a deathlike sleep for two hours, and the other will make Flash lose his memory. Aura gives the drugged wine to a sentry, who tells Flash and Prince Barin that it was sent by Vultan. They drink the wine, and lose consciousness. Flash is carried away by sentries. Barin wakes up, and finds that Flash is gone. He realizes that his wine was drugged -- and he, Vultan, Zarkov and Dale find the sentry who served the wine. The sentry admits that Aura gave him the wine, and she's taking Flash to the palace of Tao through the Tunnel of Terror. At the mouth of the tunnel, Flash revives, and Aura gives him the second pill. The High Priest tells her that Flash has now completely forgotten the past. Aura and her guards carry Flash into the tunnel -- and the treacherous High Priest bangs the sacred gong, awakening the Fire dragon. The guards scatter, and Aura desperately tries to wake Flash, who is still in a daze. Recap card Furious over Flash's conquest/ of the orangopoid, and seeing/ a chance to get Flash, Vultan/ and the others in his power, Ming/ promised to declare a feast day/ at his palace, at which Flash and/ Barin would be given their free-/ dom and the bride of their choice.// Notwithstanding this promise,/ Ming ordered the High Priest,/ under penalty of death, to rid him/ of the earth man. The crafty/ High Priest conspired with Princess/ Aura, and after giving Flash drops/ of forgetfulness and ordering the/ guards to carry him through the/ Tunnel of Terror to the abode of/ the sacred Fire Dragon... Trivia *Princess Aura copies some of Dale Arden's behavior. She screams and panics. However, this is the only instance and unlike Dale; she screams because her guards have deserted her and the Fire dragon is more menacing than the other dangers seen so far. *The sequence with Professor Gordon receiving signals from Zarkov is partially recycled from chapter 4. However, in this chapter, the scene on Earth continues further. *Lane Chandler, who played a Shark Man in chapter 4, plays one of Ming's soldiers in this chapter. Cast *Flash Gordon: Buster Crabbe *Dale Arden: Jean Rogers *Dr. Hans Zarkov: Frank Shannon *Ming the Merciless: Charles Middleton *Princess Aura: Priscilla Lawson *King Vultan: John Lipson *Prince Thun: James Pierce *Prince Barin: Richard Alexander *High Priest: Theodore Lorch *Lawrence Gordon: Richard Tucker *Professor Hensley: George Cleveland *Orangopoid: Ray "Crash" Corrigan *Officer Torch: Earl Askam *Throne room guard: John Bagni *Earth radio scientist: Don Brodie *Soldier with drugged wine: Fred Scott *Soldier: Lane Chandler *Spaceograph operator: Al Ferguson Gallery Category:Serials Chapters